Minnehaha County South Dakota Historical Markers

In 1908 the Western Bridge and Construction Co. of Omaha, Nebraska, built this Pratt-Through Truss Bridge. Workers fastened beams together with diagonal bracing to create a strong rigid framework. Each beam of a truss bridge shares a portion of the . . . — — Map (db m68663) HM

Two events in the 1870s in eastern Minnehaha County, Dakota Territory, provided the stimulus leading to the beginning of the town of Garretson. The first was the founding of the now-vanished village of Palisade, often referred to as Garretson’s . . . — — Map (db m69089) HM

Front
On plains where Native Americans once hunted vast herds of buffalo, a country general store called Wellington Corner sprang up at this location in 1921. The first building, which became the ice house, was constructed by Luther and . . . — — Map (db m93596) HM

Side A
During most of the 19th century, few women completed high school
and only daughters of the privileged or well educated had an
opportunity for a higher education. In 1881 seventeen women met
in Boston, Massachusetts, to discuss . . . — — Map (db m97577) HM

The son of a Kentucky frontiersman, Lincoln had to struggle for a living and for learning. Five months before receiving his party's nomination for President, he sketched his life.
"I was born February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. . . . — — Map (db m112639) HM

Drake Polishing Works operated on the east bank of the river, across from where you are now standing. Like other industries that located by the falls, it used the flow of the Big Sioux River to run its equipment. Unlike the other industries, . . . — — Map (db m112814) HM

[Marker Front]
On June 7, 1941, Vera Bushfield, wife of the governor of South Dakota, smashed a bottle of champagne against the towering bow of a new battleship and proudly proclaimed, “I christen thee South Dakota!” While an . . . — — Map (db m40516) HM

In the city's early days, the falls attracted both industry and pleasure seekers. During their leisure time, settlers and visitors enjoyed both the falls and Seney Island
The Island, as it was called by early residents, was an oasis for . . . — — Map (db m124198) HM

(side 1)
Between 1870 and 1920, Phillips Avenue was the center of a thriving cigar manufacturing industry. An average of four or five small cigar factories operated within a few blocks of this spot. Because the typical smoker consumed . . . — — Map (db m124098) HM

Front Columbus College began in 1909 in Chamberlain. S. Dak., and operated there for 12 years. With the inspiration of Bishop Thomas O'Gorman, the all-male prep school, high school, and college were moved to Sioux Falls and reopened in . . . — — Map (db m92174) HM

On this site in March 1910, Bernard Scott Reardon, Sr. and an associate founded the Dakota Iron Store as a wholesale distributor of heavy hardware, farm equipment, and automotive parts and supplies.
In 1975 the corporate name was changed to DaKon . . . — — Map (db m124197) HM

Front Near the beginning of the 19th century two wars were fought in two widely separated Spanish possessions. Men from South Dakota were federal combatants in both conflicts. The 1898 Spanish-American War was fought in Cuba, only 90 miles . . . — — Map (db m92196) HM

(side one)
Between 1877 and 1909, Sioux Falls was known as the “Divorce Capital of the Nation.” Lenient residency laws and multiple divorce grounds were available in Dakota Territory and South Dakota. Wealthy men and women from . . . — — Map (db m124187) HM

The Van Demark name is synonymous with orthopedic surgery in South Dakota. Dr. Guy Van Demark (1879-1963) was the first orthopedic surgeon in South Dakota. 'Dr. Guy' and Irene Fisher Coon, R.N., founded the original specialized crippled . . . — — Map (db m123104) HM

Over history the falls have been revered by many different Native American cultures. No formal archaeological digs have been performed at the falls area, but stone tools have been found throughout the region. The area surrounding the falls was . . . — — Map (db m124493) HM

Through the combined efforts of the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Board, the Northern States Power company, and the River Improvement Society (Rise). This bridge is dedicated to the people of Sioux Falls to provide better access to the city's . . . — — Map (db m112815) HM

Floods have been common along the Big Sioux River for hundreds of years. The combination of flat land, heavy snows, and spring rains can be disastrous. One of the most devastating floods occurred in 1881. The winter had been particularly harsh, . . . — — Map (db m124499) HM

(side one)
Residents fled Sioux Falls City, Dakota Territory, after the 1862 slaying of the Amidons. The town site was abandoned until May 5, 1865, when Lt. Col. John Pattee chose this location for Fort Brookings, a new military post.
. . . — — Map (db m124189) HM

Quartzite is the stone you see revealed throughout Falls Park. Sioux Quartzite is the local name for his stone. It was also called Jasper. Sioux Quartzite provided both the physical and financial base for the city of Sioux Falls.
Quartzite is . . . — — Map (db m124199) HM

This spot is near the center of an area called “Siouxland,” so named by writer Frederick F. Manfred (1912–1994). Manfred established a distinct identity for this region, the drainage basin of the Big Sioux River. It includes parts . . . — — Map (db m92175) HM

During the City's early years, a number of industries located at the Falls of the Big Sioux River and used the energy produced by the river's flow to run their machinery.
The Queen Bee Mill and the Sioux Falls Light & Power Company . . . — — Map (db m124191) HM

With a pioneer spirit Hazel O'Connor has continually let the way toward a better Sioux Falls. One of her many special concerns has been the Big Sioux River and the falls, the city's namesake. As a leader of the City Federation of Women's clubs, . . . — — Map (db m112819) HM

An early pioneer and land
speculator in Sioux Falls,
Helen McKennan
recognized a need for
city parks. She donated
her home and 20 acres of
adjacent land in 1906 to
become what is now
known as McKennan Park.
Martin . . . — — Map (db m113432) HM

The Falls were at the heart of the young city of Sioux Falls — nicknamed the Queen City. The Queen Bee Mill stood at the most powerful point of the Falls and was a center of activity in the 1880s.
The Queen Bee Mill was sited to take full . . . — — Map (db m124190) HM

Directly east is the Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot. The Illinois Central, the fourth railroad company to extend its service to Sioux Falls, opened its line and passenger depot in December, 1887. The building became a freight depot after . . . — — Map (db m124587) HM

"The vast granite walls which have stood for years, rugged and wildly picturesque, a great and inspiring example of the handwork of God, are being smoothed away by the kiss of the hammer and the marvelous power of the explosives".
. . . — — Map (db m112813) HM

In the 1880s, wheat was among the major crops grown locally, and the need to process the grain locally arose. In 1877, the Cascade Mill purchased water rights and five acres of land on the east side of the Big Sioux River, north of Eighth Street, . . . — — Map (db m124498) HM

(side 1)
The changing of global sea levels over millions of years was a major factor in determining the ancient geography of Minnehaha County. Through much of geologic time, salty warm-water seas covered the interior of the United . . . — — Map (db m124175) HM

National Register of Historic Places
Constructed in 1899 (with an addition in 1909) by Jewett Bros. to house their wholesale food business, this building was placed on the National Register in 1983 as part of the Old Courthouse and Warehouse . . . — — Map (db m124497) HM

(Side One)
Lady Liberty first graced McKennan Park in 1942 although the statue was not formally dedicated until August 1, 1943. As several thousand watched, twins Thelma and Elma Iverson unveiled a wood carving of the Statue of Liberty. The . . . — — Map (db m113437) HM

The late-Wisconsin Glacier was no ordinary sheet of ice! The glacier was one mile thick and it stretched from eastern Ohio to the Missouri River. It caused North America's most recent Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago.
As the glacier pushed . . . — — Map (db m112817) HM

(side one)
After the United States declared war against Spain in 1898, Jonas H. Lien enlisted into the First Regiment of the newly formed South Dakota Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was mustered into federal service at Camp Dewey in . . . — — Map (db m124196) HM WM

In 1902, the Manchester Biscuit Company came to Sioux Falls and built a two-story quartzite building on East Sixth Street. By 1909, the building had expanded to include a third floor and a three-story addition was added to the south. In 1915, the . . . — — Map (db m124638) HM

Sioux Falls took its name from these falls which are located in the Big Sioux River. Surrounded by a sea of grass, the falls were a remarkable discovery for explorers. For the land speculators that followed the explorers, these falls provided an . . . — — Map (db m127423) HM

(panel 1)
On October 2, 1913, the grand opening of the Orpheum Theater at 315 N. Phillips Avenue was a full-dress affair with patrons paying the unheard of price of $5 per seat. First nighters were entertained with a full line-up. . . . — — Map (db m124195) HM

The realization of a grand vision to restore the natural beauty of our city’s most historic and important landmark
Falls Park is the city’s historic birthplace. The almost mystical allure of the falls has always been a powerful influence. . . . — — Map (db m124588) HM

With World War II threatening the tranquility of the United States in 1940, Oscar Ellefson, caretaker and builder of many early McKennan Park attractions, proposed a new project. Ellefson envisioned designing and building two pillars made of . . . — — Map (db m113450) HM

(side one)
Train loads of visitors swarmed to Sioux Falls on October 14, 1899, to see the first president ever to visit South Dakota. The city appeared to be “one blaze of national colors.” Hundreds of flags waved, and . . . — — Map (db m124182) HM

(side 1)
President Woodrow Wilson came to Sioux Falls on September 8, 1919, as part of a 29-city campaign to stump for the Treaty of Versailles, which included the League of Nations. An excited crowd of onlookers cheered the 28th . . . — — Map (db m124172) HM

(Side One)
Congress appropriated $30,000 in 1881 for the construction of a prison in Sioux Falls to serve Dakota Territory. In order to finance a building large enough to house up to 150 inmates, the territorial legislature . . . — — Map (db m112820) HM

1.2 billion years ago intense heat and pressure transformed pure quartz sandstone into quartzite rock. The sandstone originated from sand deposited on the floor of an ancient ocean. Later, as glaciers moved across the area, large portions of the . . . — — Map (db m124640) HM

The Great Dakota Land Boom took place from the late 1870s through the 1880s. This influx of settlers was driven largely by rapid railroad expansion. In 1878, the first rail service arrived in Sioux Falls and by 1888 it had five lines. The population . . . — — Map (db m124641) HM

Manchester Biscuit Company was well known for its Big Sioux Biscuits and other treats, which it continued making until 1961 when the plant in Sioux Falls closed. That same year, Raven Industries purchased the building. Raven Industries was formed in . . . — — Map (db m124639) HM

While the Big Sioux River was primarily of industrial importance to the settlement of Sioux Falls, it also has an equally important history for recreation.
The First Public Report of the Board of Parks Supervisors of 1915-1920 called for . . . — — Map (db m124495) HM

(panel 1)
”If you didn't drink whiskey, play cards, use your fists or otherwise intimidate, you didn't belong in the arena with Frank Pettigrew… a man who came to the Dakotas with nothing but desire, talent and ambition. He pitched . . . — — Map (db m124226) HM

On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College. There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the . . . — — Map (db m112633) HM

On Sunday July 11, 1920, at McKennan Park, several thousand people attended the first concert of the Sioux Falls Municipal Band. A year earlier, in the first city election allowing women to vote, citizens approved a proposal to support a city . . . — — Map (db m113433) HM

The 1862 Sioux Uprising, a result of unjust government treatment, claimed many Indian and non-Indian lives. Near this place on August 25, 1862, two of its victims, Judge Joseph B. Amidon and his son, William, were killed while making hay on their . . . — — Map (db m95061) HM

Andrew Kuehn built this quartzite building in 1903 for a wholesale grocery distribution center and warehouse. A German, Kuehn came alone to America at age 15 in 1870. After working his way across the midwest, he settled in Sioux Falls in 1900 where . . . — — Map (db m124248) HM

From 1887 to about 1913, this area, bordering the Big Sioux River, was the thriving community of East Sioux Falls. The city boasted a hotel, several boarding houses, saloons and retail stores, a town hall, a cricket team, at least three church . . . — — Map (db m113402) HM

The City of Sioux Falls purchased this land in 1905 to be used as a Farmer's Market. Architect Joseph Schwarz designed the auditorium. Constructed in 1917 for $218,000 it features Art Deco adornment both inside and out. The main floor and three side . . . — — Map (db m124193) HM

The Dubuque House,Sioux Falls’ first hotel, was built about 350 yards due west of this spot by Wilmot W. Brookings and members of the Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa, in September 1857. In the previous year, they had staked out . . . — — Map (db m91556) HM

(side 1)
In 1891, the Unites States Government purchased the southeast corner lot on Phillips Avenue and 12th Street for $8,000 for the construction of a government building. While everyone agreed that the fledgling city of Sioux Falls . . . — — Map (db m124096) HM

(side 1)
Early day justice Minnehaha County, Dakota Territory, overlooked innocence when gallows were erected near this site for the hanging of Thomas Egan, a pioneer immigrant farmer from County Tipperary in Ireland. Egan . . . — — Map (db m124100) HM

Here is preserved
the Old Yankton Trail
and
Stage Road
Over this trail the people of
Sioux Falls fled to Yankton
under cavalry escort for
safety from hostile
Sioux Indians, Aug. 28, 1862 — — Map (db m97298) HM

This view of the lower level of the Hydroelectric plant shows the massive pipes that channeled the river's flow to three electric generators. Water entered the plant through the flume at the back of the room and flowed through the large gate . . . — — Map (db m112689) HM

The Queen Bee Mill, a goliath among mills in early Dakota Territory, once stood tall and proud here on the bank of the Big Sioux River. A large quartzite deposit on the site was used to build an impressive seven-story flour mill.
The . . . — — Map (db m124251) HM

The Sioux Quartzite, deposited more than a billion years ago, is among the oldest rock exposed in South Dakota. The quartzite and associated pipestone deposits were known to white men as early as 1822, but the American Indian used pipestone . . . — — Map (db m124602) HM

Urban renewal was a movement that provided for the development of aging and underutilized city neighborhoods. During the 1960s, light industry and warehouses had begun to move out of downtown Sioux Falls. The area near Seventh Street and the Big . . . — — Map (db m124496) HM

(side one)
For most of the 119 years between 1873 and 1992, a majority of Sioux Falls children attended one of three successive public schools erected on this site. The first, an unnamed small wood-frame elementary school, was replaced . . . — — Map (db m124194) HM

Side A No one knows when the first people came to live on the land
that now comprises Minnehaha County, but native Woodland and
Oneota peoples were here over 1000 years ago. The Big
Sioux River which flows south through the county, . . . — — Map (db m97379) HM

1859
Set at the junction of the states of Minnesota, Iowa and Dakota Territory by the Federal Land Office survey of Minnesota 's western boundary.
Early 1900's
Removed after partial destruction by vandals.
1938
Repaired . . . — — Map (db m102486) HM

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